The Heart of History: Individuality in Evolution

This book is about the psychology of acute culture change based on the historical antecedents of such events. It focuses on the spiritual process and the social circumstances of stressful turning points. In a broad perspective of psychological, historical, and evolutionary considerations, Perry investigates factors that enable cultures in crisis to reorganize. He pursues historical antecedents of cataclysmic times, focusing on man's relation to his spiritual center and his societal setting. He shows clearly the parallelism of processes of transformation in psyche and society, citing historical examples in which the unbalances assertion of individuality and dominance has been countered through the emergence of compassionate social concern.